World News - Selling stuff online? Here comes the IRS. They smell money and the politicians and the IRS want every penny they can squeeze out of you

Americans who sell items through Internet auction sites could be in for an unpleasant surprise at tax time next year, thanks to an IRS proposal designed to identify taxpayers who don't report income from those sales. The U.S. Treasury Department wants Congress to force auction sites like eBay, Amazon.com and uBid.com to turn over the identities and Social Security numbers of a large portion of their users to the IRS--so tax collectors know how much each person made through online selling. The effort is part of a larger plan, which enjoys enthusiastic support from both Democrats and Republicans, to close what's known as the "tax gap." It's a broad term that covers Americans who don't file tax returns or those who underreport their income, and the IRS believes it to total around $345 billion for the 2001 tax year. But the proposal is likely to encounter stiff opposition from Internet auction aficionados, free-market advocates and the auction Web sites themselves, not all of which are large enough to be able to comply with the rules without financial hardship.... http://news.com.com

Presidential candidate Ron Paul has warned that the US is now at a crisis point because the people have been so neglectful of protecting their liberties and big government has been so effective in eroding them. He warned that the elite are prepared to concoct events to scare the American people and asserted that the 2008 Presidential election is a contest between the people who care about their freedoms and those who are willing to succumb to the temptations of dictatorship. Congressman Ron Paul joined Alex Jones on air this week for a full hour to discuss his ongoing Presidential campaign and give his views on what he believes the fundamental issues are in America today. The Congressman gave a candid interview in which he discussed many topics in depth including the economy, foreign policy, the North American Union, the possibility of a draft and the situations in Iraq and Iran. Known for what many have described as his impeccable voting record, Ron Paul is a champion of individual liberty and a strong campaigner for restoration of a true Constitutionalist form of US government, a trait that has made him a rare and popular candidate amongst people from all across the political spectrum. When asked what he believes the overriding issue in America today is the Congressman pointed towards the erosion of personal freedoms:...http://www.infowars.net/articles/april2007/110407Paul.htm

Three U.S. soldiers and two Iraqi translators were killed in two attacks south of Baghdad, the military said on Friday. Eight soldiers were wounded. In the worst of the two attacks, which took place Thursday, two soldiers were killed and seven wounded in an attack on their base south of the capital. The two Iraqi interpreters died in that attack. The military statement said U.S. forces dispatched a quick reaction force and attack helicopters to relieve the unit. In a second attack Friday, the military said, one soldier was killed and one wounded in a roadside bombing, also south of Baghdad. The names of those killed and wounded were being withheld until family could be notified, the military said. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/13/iraq/main2679905.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2679905

Brazil's police say they have broken up a gang suspected of carrying out about 1,000 contract killings in 5 years. At least 20 people, including police officers, businessmen & hired gunmen, were arrested in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco. Police described the gang as "Murder Incorporated" - a professional business operation hired to kill people over small debts, & out of revenge. The north-eastern state of Pernambuco has the highest murder rate in Brazil. Death squads involving serving & retired police officers have long been a problem in Brazil where shop-keepers sometimes use them against street children. Police say the gang was a professional organisation which carried out around 4 killings a week for between $500 and $2,500 each (£252-1260). It was believed to have been hired - often by local merchants - for motives which the police described as banal. Some of the victims had debts to loan sharks, others were simply caught up in personal disputes, like rows over women. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6552727.stm

Terrorists blew up a corner of the "new Iraq" on Thursday when they struck the parliament's cafeteria, and German commentators wonder what it means for the chances of an American pullout. Also: Is North Africa the new staging ground for al-Qaida? The suicide bombing on Thursday at the cafeteria in Iraq's parliament building was not just an assault on Iraq's democratic institutions -- one that killed at least two legislators and six other people, according to the latest figures -- it was also a stunning failure of security during an important phase of the American operation in Iraq. United States and Iraqi forces have been engaged since February in a very public and visible "security crackdown" in Baghdad, hoping to make daily life easier for the people trying to run and rebuild the country. On Thursday it failed -- publicly and visibly -- inside the Green Zone. US President George W. Bush put a brave face on the aftermath, ...http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,477105,00.html

U.S.-led troops and aircraft pounded Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan, killing more than 35, the coalition said. A NATO soldier was killed in separate fighting, which has intensified following a winter lull. With the weather warming, foreign and government forces pressed on with their largest ever anti-Taliban offensive in the south, but the 11 NATO deaths since last weekend are a sign the insurgency remains virulent. In Helmand province, the focus of the offensive, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops fought for five hours Thursday with guerrillas in the district of Sangin, a coalition statement said. The troops "pursued fleeing Taliban fighters northward," and "more than 35 Taliban fighters were killed," the statement said. The account could not be independently verified because of the remoteness of the area. ...http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18094122/